Monday

I guess you could say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  I was generally grumpy and out of sorts and was really having trouble shaking it.  However, I'm feeling much better now!  Micaiah had a bit of a nap  - only about 45 minutes, but it was enough for me to have a bit of time to read my cookbook and gather my thoughts.  The sun peeked out a bit more and it's feeling like it'll be a nice warm day, maybe we'll play outside a bit after lunch.

I have found myself challenged, by reading several real food blogs, to eliminate a lot of the processed foods we buy and start cooking more from scratch.  I cooked from scratch, sort of, but relied on several processed items to help put my meals together:  side dishes, some canned soups, and a few other odds and ends. I knew they probably weren't that great for us, but I was lacking the initiative and know how to do something different.  Those food blogs gave the little bit of a push that I needed, as well as some know how to make some changes.  (We're taking things slowly at first)  I found a recipe for Scottish Oatmeal in the Cooks Illustrated New Best Recipe cookbook that sounds really good - so much better than the way I was making it before Micaiah was born.   I also found a recipe for Quiche Lorraine that sounds really good.  Those of you that know me well may about faint at that statement as I do not like eggs.  However, I didn't realize that the base for a good Quiche should be a custard - I like custard.  This recipe also has lots of bacon in it and cheese.  I can hardly believe the dishes that people are putting out there that they call Quiche!  No wonder that I like my friend Jacquie's quiche, she's a really good cook.  Maybe there's hope for me yet.  (Though I did just have to read a recipe about how to make scrambled eggs .  Please refer to above disclaimer about eggs.)  So, now I have even more encouragement to try new dishes and cook a little more, I will also admit to hoping we can whittle down our grocery budget.  We'll see.  Today might just be a pretty good day after all.  Happy Monday to you all.